Method and system for remotely controlling personal computer based on virtual input device

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a method for remotely controlling a personal computer (PC) based on a virtual input device. The method includes: activating the virtual input device by using the mobile device after connecting the mobile device with the remote PC; and selecting a preset input GUI or custom input GUI in the virtual input device, then tapping a key in the input GUI, calling a virtual key code mapped with the tapped key per an input request, to conduct an operation. A system for implementing this method is also provided, which includes a mobile device and a virtual input device. After the mobile device is connected with the remote PC, the virtual input device is activated by using the mobile device.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method for controlling personal computer (PC) and, more specifically, to a method and system for remotely controlling a PC based on a virtual input device.

BACKGROUND

The continuous advancement of science and technology, as well as the increasing popularity of smart mobile device, is giving rise to an increasing variety of new mobile phones, tablets and wearable smart devices of various brands. Nevertheless, all of them, without exception, rely on soft keyboards for users' input of information by tapping keys thereof. However, such soft keyboards are similar in layout and design. Although, some of them being customizable via software, this technique is implemented only for mobile applications. Recent advancements in cloud computing have enabled a few enterprises to provide users with accessibility to a remote PC's desktop through using a mobile device, for manipulating applications thereon, such as PC games, social software and office software, as if controlling those on a local PC's desktop. However, at the current stage, input operations for this new service provided by the manufacturers are carried out with the aid of peripherals such as physical keyboards and mouses as well as gamepads. At present, there is no manufacturer who has proposed such an innovative measure that utilizes a virtual input device rather than a physical peripheral in mobile device that is accessing a remote PC's desktop to switch between the mobile device and the remote PC in a seamless manner, as desired, at any time from any place.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the aforementioned shortcomings, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a method and system, which are based on a virtual input device to allow a user to remotely access a PC's desktop through using a mobile device and perform relevant operations thereon and are thus characterized in dispensing with the need of purchasing a peripheral, savings in time and money and availability at any time and place.

To achieve the objective mentioned above, the present application provides a method for remotely controlling a personal computer based on a virtual input device, comprising:

step 1, activating a virtual input device by using a mobile device after connecting the mobile device with a remote personal computer; and

step 2, selecting a preset input Graphical User Interface (GUI) or a custom input GUI in the virtual input device, then tapping a key in the input GUI, calling a virtual key code mapped with the tapped key per an input request, to conduct an operation.

In the above method for remotely controlling a personal computer based on a virtual input device, selecting a preset input GUI or a custom input GUI in step 2 is achieved by:

step 2 a, entering an input GUI selection page after connecting with the virtual input device;

step 2 b, selecting a preset input GUI or a current custom input GUI on the input GUI selection page, and proceeding to step 2 c if the preset input GUI is selected, otherwise proceeding to step 2 d;

step 2 c, proceeding to step 2 h by manipulating a key in the preset input GUI after the preset input GUI is selected;

step 2 d, configuring a new custom input GUI if the preset input GUI or the current custom input GUI is considered unsatisfactory;

step 2 e, after the new custom input GUI is configured, directly proceeding to step 2 g if selecting to abandon the current operation, or proceeding to step 2 f if selecting to save the current configuration;

step 2 f, naming and saving the configured new custom input GUI and proceeding to step 2 h;

step 2 g, exiting the virtual input device; and

step 2 h, using the virtual input device.

In the above method for remotely controlling a personal computer based on a virtual input device, in step 2 d, each of the current and new custom input GUIs is configured by:

selecting a plurality of desired keys on an editing page of the virtual input device;

naming the desired keys and editing display layouts of the desired keys and of an input GUI on the editing page as desired; and

saving the edited display layouts of the desired keys and of the input GUI to generate the custom input GUI in the virtual input device.

In the above method for remotely controlling a personal computer based on a virtual input device, in step 2 e, after the new custom input GUI is configured, the configured new custom input GUI is optionally sent to a server configured to store custom GUI so that other users are able to selectively download and use, comment on, share with others or edit the sent custom input GUI.

In the above method for remotely controlling a personal computer based on a virtual input device, editing the display layout of the desired keys in the custom input GUI comprises setting positions of the desired keys in the custom input GUI, sizes of the desired keys, colors of the desired keys, and shapes of the desired keys;

editing the display layout of the input GUI comprises setting a style of the input GUI.

In the above method for remotely controlling a personal computer based on a virtual input device, the custom input GUI comprises at least one of a physical keyboard, a physical mouse and a physical gamepad,

the physical keyboard comprising at least one of alphabet keys, function keys, navigation keys and number keys,

the physical mouse comprising buttons and/or a mouse scroll,

the physical gamepad comprising buttons and/or joysticks.

The present application also provides a system for remotely controlling a personal computer based on a virtual input device, comprising a mobile device and a virtual input device, wherein

after the mobile device is connected with a remote personal computer, the virtual input device is activated by using the mobile device, and

a preset input GUI or custom input GUI is selected in the virtual input device, and then an operation is conducted by tapping a key in the input GUI and calling a virtual key code mapped with the tapped key per an input request.

In the above system, the custom input GUI comprises at least one of a physical keyboard, a physical mouse and a physical gamepad,

the physical keyboard comprising at least one of alphabet keys, function keys, navigation keys and number keys,

the physical mouse comprising buttons and/or a mouse scroll,

the physical gamepad comprising buttons and/or joysticks.

In the above system, the mobile device comprises a smart mobile phone, a tablet or other smart touch devices.

In the above system, further comprising a server configured to store custom GUI, wherein after a new custom input GUI is configured, the configured new custom input GUI is optionally sent to the server so that other users are able to selectively download and use, comment on, share with others or edit the sent custom input GUI.

Compared with the existing technology, the present invention offers the following advantages:

In view of the shortcomings of the existing virtual input devices, the present invention meets the need of users through taking into consideration both input devices required by applications on a remote PC and the user's personality. As a result, the user is able to access and control the remote PC's desktop through using a local mobile device without a need to purchase any additional peripheral, resulting in savings in money and time. In addition, the access is available at any time from any place, while satisfying the user's need for personalization.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a method according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a process to select one of two input GUIs according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a process to configure a new custom input GUI according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the architecture of a system according to the present invention.

Main reference numerals in the figures are listed as follows:

1 denotes a mobile device; 2 denotes a virtual input device; 3 denotes a PC; and 4 denotes a server configured to store custom GUI.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the present invention provides a method for remotely controlling a personal computer (PC) based on a virtual input device. The method includes:

step 1, activating the virtual input device by using the mobile device after connecting the mobile device with a remote personal computer;

step 2, selecting a preset input GUI or custom input GUI in the virtual input device, then tapping a key in the input GUI, calling a virtual key code mapped with the tapped key per an input request, to conduct an operation.

In step 2, the selection of the preset input GUI or custom input GUI is achieved by:

step 2 a, entering an input GUI selection page after connecting with the virtual input device;

step 2 b, selecting the preset input GUI or the current custom input GUI on the input GUI selection page, and proceeding to step 2 c if the preset input GUI is selected, otherwise proceeding to step 2 d;

step 2 c, proceeding to step 2 h by manipulating a key in the preset input GUI after the preset input GUI is selected;

step 2 d, configuring a new custom input GUI if the preset input GUI or the current custom input GUI is considered unsatisfactory;

step 2 e, after a new custom input GUI is configured, directly proceeding to step 2 g if selecting to abandon the current operation, or proceeding to step 2 f if selecting to save the current configuration;

step 2 f, naming and saving the configured new custom input GUI and proceeding to step 2 h;

step 2 g, exiting the virtual input device; and

step 2 h, using the virtual input device.

In steps 2 b and 2 d, each of the current and new custom input GUIs may be configured by:

selecting a plurality of desired keys on an editing page of the virtual input device;

naming the keys as desired and editing display layouts of the keys and of the input GUI on the editing page; and

saving the display layout and generating the custom input GUI.

In step 2 e, the newly configured custom input GUI is optionally sent to a server configured to store custom GUI.

Editing the display layout of the keys in the custom input GUI may include setting their positions in the input GUI, sizes, colors and shapes.

Editing the display layout of the input GUI may include setting its style.

The style of the input GUI may include its color, size, shape and the like.

The custom input GUI may include at least one of a physical keyboard, a physical mouse and a physical gamepad.

The physical keyboard may include at least one of alphabet keys, function keys, navigation keys and number keys.

The physical mouse may include buttons and/or a mouse scroll.

The physical gamepad may include buttons and/or joysticks.

As shown in FIG. 4, the present invention also provides a system for remotely controlling a personal computer (PC) based on a virtual input device. The system includes a mobile device 1 and a virtual input device 2.

In the system, after the mobile device 1 is connected to the remote PC 3, the virtual input device 2 is activated by using the mobile device 1.

A preset input GUI or custom input GUI is selected in the virtual input device, and then a corresponding operation is conducted by tapping a key in the input GUI and calling a virtual key code mapped with the tapped key per an input request.

In the virtual input device, the selection of the preset input GUI or custom input GUI may be achieved by:

entering an input GUI selection page after connecting with the virtual input device;

selecting the preset input GUI or the current custom input GUI on the input GUI selection page, and tapping a selection key for the preset input GUI on the input GUI selection page if the preset input GUI is to be selected, so as to enter the preset input GUI;

configuring a new custom input GUI if the preset input GUI or the current custom input GUI is considered unsatisfactory;

after a new custom input GUI is configured, it is possible to select to abandon the current operation and directly exiting the virtual input device; and

naming and saving the new custom input GUI if selecting to save the current configuration, wherein after the saving, it is possible to select to use the custom input GUI directly, or to select to use the custom input GUI directly or edit the custom input GUI when entering the virtual input device again.

Each of the current and new custom input GUIs is configured by:

selecting a plurality of desired keys on an editing page of the virtual input device;

naming the keys as desired and editing display layouts of the keys and of the input GUI on the editing page; and

saving the display layout and generating the custom input GUI.

Editing the display layout of the keys in the custom input GUI may include setting their positions in the input GUI, sizes, colors and shapes.

Editing the display layout of the input GUI may include setting its style. The style of the input GUI may include its color, size, shape and the like.

The custom input GUI may include at least one of a physical keyboard, a physical mouse or a physical gamepad.

The physical keyboard may include at least one of alphabet keys, function keys, navigation keys and number keys.

The physical mouse may include buttons and/or a mouse scroll.

The physical gamepad may include buttons and/or joysticks.

According to the present invention, the mobile device can be used to control various applications on the remote PC without any peripheral device. The mobile device may include, but is not limited to, a smart mobile phone, a tablet or any other smart touch device.

According to the present invention, the virtual input device provides the preset input GUI composed of a preset soft keyboard, keys common in use in various games or keys set for a dedicated particular game, and provides a custom input GUI configured by editing a layout of desired keys based on the need of the user.

The system further comprises a server 4 configured to store custom GUI. After a new custom input GUI is configured, the virtual input device 2 sent the newly configured custom input GUI to the server 4.

Since the virtual input device is capable for information interaction with the server, the user can upload favorable custom input GUIs having been configured to the server by using the virtue of the virtual input device so that other users can download the uploaded custom input GUIs by using a device, use them directly or after further editions, and give a “like” or “comment” to them.

In the custom input GUI of the virtual input device, the user may be allowed to set the keys' contents, number, positions (any of the key can be dragged to any position on the screen without limitation), sizes, layout, use-pattern and the like and personalize their colors, skins and the like. After being saved, further modifications and editions may be also allowed.

The present invention aims to provide to a solution to users pursuing access to a remote PC's desktop through using a mobile device while not possessing a suitable peripheral device. Currently, just a few custom virtual keyboard is known and they are only configured for APPs on mobile devices, such as Apps for social chatting, network access, etc., and game operation devices are dedicated devices configured by the respective game enterprises. Therefore, the known custom keyboards for mobile devices are strongly limited in their application. By contrast, the present invention provides a user with a customizable input GUI without using any peripheral device, which includes a virtual keyboard (including function keys, alphabet keys, navigation keys, symbol keys, number keys, etc.), a virtual mouse and/or a virtual gamepad and enables access to a remote PC for smooth social activities, network access and PC gaming. Further, the user can customize the input GUI based on its own use habits, particular tasks, feelings and the like so as to achieve more convenient and fixable operations that better satisfy the user's personalized needs.

The description presented above is merely that of a few embodiments, which are illustrative of, but not limiting, of the present invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many changes, modifications and even equivalents can be made without departing from the spirit and scope as defined by the appended claims they are deemed to fall within the scope of the claim and are deemed to also fall within the scope of protection sought. 

1. A method for remotely controlling a personal computer based on a virtual input device, comprising: step 1, activating a virtual input device by using a mobile device after connecting the mobile device with a remote personal computer; and step 2, selecting a preset input GUI or a custom input GUI in the virtual input device, then tapping a key in the input GUI, calling a virtual key code mapped with the tapped key per an input request, to conduct an operation.
 2. The method for remotely controlling a personal computer based on a virtual input device according to claim 1, wherein selecting a preset input GUI or a custom input GUI in step 2 is achieved by: step 2 a, entering an input GUI selection page after connecting with the virtual input device; step 2 b, selecting a preset input GUI or a current custom input GUI on the input GUI selection page, and proceeding to step 2 c if the preset input GUI is selected, otherwise proceeding to step 2 d; step 2 c, proceeding to step 2 h by manipulating a key in the preset input GUI after the preset input GUI is selected; step 2 d, configuring a new custom input GUI if the preset input GUI or the current custom input GUI is considered unsatisfactory; step 2 e, after the new custom input GUI is configured, directly proceeding to step 2 g if selecting to abandon a current operation, or proceeding to step 2 f if selecting to save the current configuration; step 2 f, naming and saving the configured new custom input GUI and proceeding to step 2 h; step 2 g, exiting the virtual input device; and step 2 h, using the virtual input device.
 3. The method for remotely controlling a personal computer based on a virtual input device according to claim 2, wherein in steps 2 b and 2 d, each of the current and new custom input GUIs is configured by: selecting a plurality of desired keys on an editing page of the virtual input device; naming the desired keys and editing display layouts of the desired keys and of an input GUI on the editing page as desired; and saving the edited display layouts of the desired keys and of the input GUI to generate the custom input GUI in the virtual input device.
 4. The method for remotely controlling a personal computer based on a virtual input device according to claim 3, wherein in step 2 e, after the new custom input GUI is configured, the configured new custom input GUI is optionally sent to a server configured to store custom GUI so that other users are able to selectively download and use, comment on, share with others or edit the sent custom input GUI.
 5. The method for remotely controlling a personal computer based on a virtual input device according to claim 4, wherein editing the display layout of the desired keys in the custom input GUI comprises setting positions of the desired keys in the custom input GUI, sizes of the desired keys, colors of the desired keys, and shapes of the desired keys; editing the display layout of the input GUI comprises setting a style of the input GUI.
 6. The method for remotely controlling a personal computer based on a virtual input device according to claim 1, wherein the custom input GUI comprises at least one of a physical keyboard, a physical mouse and a physical gamepad, the physical keyboard comprising at least one of alphabet keys, function keys, navigation keys and number keys, the physical mouse comprising buttons and/or a mouse scroll, the physical gamepad comprising buttons and/or joysticks.
 7. A system for implementing the method according to claim 1, comprising a mobile device and a virtual input device, wherein after the mobile device is connected with a remote personal computer, the virtual input device is activated by using the mobile device, and a preset input GUI or custom input GUI is selected in the virtual input device, and then an operation is conducted by tapping a key in the input GUI and calling a virtual key code mapped with the tapped key per an input request.
 8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the custom input GUI comprises at least one of a physical keyboard, a physical mouse and a physical gamepad, the physical keyboard comprising at least one of alphabet keys, function keys, navigation keys and number keys, the physical mouse comprising buttons and/or a mouse scroll, the physical gamepad comprising buttons and/or joysticks.
 9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the mobile device comprises a smart mobile phone, a tablet or other smart mobile touch devices.
 10. The system according to claim 7, further comprising a server configured to store custom GUI, wherein after a new custom input GUI is configured, the configured new custom input GUI is optionally sent to the server so that other users are able to selectively download and use, comment on, share with others or edit the sent custom input GUI.
 11. The method for remotely controlling a personal computer based on a virtual input device according to claim 2, wherein the custom input GUI comprises at least one of a physical keyboard, a physical mouse and a physical gamepad, the physical keyboard comprising at least one of alphabet keys, function keys, navigation keys and number keys, the physical mouse comprising buttons and/or a mouse scroll, the physical gamepad comprising buttons and/or joysticks.
 12. The method for remotely controlling a personal computer based on a virtual input device according to claim 3, wherein the custom input GUI comprises at least one of a physical keyboard, a physical mouse and a physical gamepad, the physical keyboard comprising at least one of alphabet keys, function keys, navigation keys and number keys, the physical mouse comprising buttons and/or a mouse scroll, the physical gamepad comprising buttons and/or joysticks.
 13. The method for remotely controlling a personal computer based on a virtual input device according to claim 4, wherein the custom input GUI comprises at least one of a physical keyboard, a physical mouse and a physical gamepad, the physical keyboard comprising at least one of alphabet keys, function keys, navigation keys and number keys, the physical mouse comprising buttons and/or a mouse scroll, the physical gamepad comprising buttons and/or joysticks.
 14. The method for remotely controlling a personal computer based on a virtual input device according to claim 5, wherein the custom input GUI comprises at least one of a physical keyboard, a physical mouse and a physical gamepad, the physical keyboard comprising at least one of alphabet keys, function keys, navigation keys and number keys, the physical mouse comprising buttons and/or a mouse scroll, the physical gamepad comprising buttons and/or joysticks. 